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THE FOUNDATIONS OF

the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Their grief would also proceed from the affection with which the memory of the aged clings to the objects and scenes of youth, which have long since gone by present occasions of joy appear to them small in comparison; and the remembrance of painful scenes, such as they have passed through, will affect the mind; the recalling hours of past sorrow will embitter the present moment. The "noise of the weeping" may appear to us a singular expression; but those who have heard the loud sounds or cries with which weeping and lamentations are accompanied in the East, notice this, and also that men as well as women publicly join in these lamentations.

They wept, those aged patriots wept
The fame of vanquished years;

And burning thoughts, which long had slept,
Now melted them to tears.

They well remembered Salem's state

E're Babel laid it desolate.

They saw the second temple rise,
But far less fair and bright;
And e'en their age-enfrozen eyes,
Dropt sorrow at the sight;

They thought of many a vanished scene
Of what they were, and what had been.

Captivity had been their lot

For many a lonely day;
Yet Salem cannot be forgot,

Or memory pass away:

And memory told the tale too well,
For which their bitter tear-drops fell.

They should have looked with greater thankfulness

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at the prospect before their children. They were brought back to the very spot on which they had formerly seen the tower of the temple rising above its courts. The dimensions for the buildings were the same, the site was enlarged, and although the materials collected were much fewer, and there was no immediate prospect of the same display of sculptured gold and ornamented brass, yet there were no reasons to limit the Most High. In the course of years the temple again offered a rich display of magnificence.

Psalms lxxxiv. and lxvi. are ascribed to this period; they are appropriate to the work then going forward: they express gratitude for deliverance, with earnest desires that the Lord should be glorified. Such feelings are right, such prayers will be answered; many a believer has been able to adopt the words of the Psalmist, "Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

And the deliverance of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon should remind us, that the calls and offers of the gospel are "deliverance preached to the captives," even like the proclamation of Cyrus. One infinitely greater than Cyrus, even the Lord Jesus Christ, has opened a way whereby every one who feels the burden and bondage of sin may return unto God, and be made partaker of the glorious liberty of his children. Christ, as the Son of God, has "all power both in heaven and in earth," an infinitely greater dominion than that of Cyrus; he invites all to come to him, yet, alas, many who hear this joyful sound choose rather to sit still in Babylon. They love its worldly pomp and power, they are in love with their sins; but those whom the Lord has made willing in the day of his power, will not remain with those who shall perish in Babylon, when the day of its destruction shall arrive.

K

THOSE engaged in the work of the Lord must not expect to escape difficulties, the causes for which are often hidden from them at the time, but sorely try their faith. When believers are proceeding in a good work, and are not conscious of unhallowed or interested motives, it seems hard for them to meet with a check, and to find their way become rugged, or even for a time hedged up; yet this is often the case: it is well for us to consider and try our ways, and to wait upon the Lord, seeking that his will may be made clear unto us. Such a time now came upon the Jews. About this period Daniel departed this life, full of

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days; his removal would make it easier for the adversaries of the Jews to oppose their progress, and they would not neglect to use the advantage. Observe, here, that the first hinderance to the work of building the temple arose from men who pretended to desire the glory of God, and offered to take a part in the building of the temple. These were the colonists planted in the country of the ten tribes by Esarhaddon, and there incorporated with the scanty remnant of the people. From 2 Kings xvii. it appears, that they acknowledged Jehovah, but worshipped the Lord in conjunction with idols; this mongrel worship having been adopted from unworthy motives. "The Lord is a jealous God; ' such service never will be accepted by him; his servants are to be as cautious in refraining from uniting themselves with such worshippers, as in keeping separate from the openly profane and worldly. We refer not to common affairs of life, or outward matters, but to things which especially concern the spiritual service of the Lord, and the honour due to him. In these things there cannot be any agreement or concord between Christ and Belial if assistance is offered in such matters, let it not be accepted without due consideration; many a time has aid been profferred, which in the intention, or at least in the result, would weaken instead of promoting the work in hand. An influence or a direct control has been thereby obtained, and unhesitatingly used to prevent the progress of measures calculated for the good of souls; sometimes even to turn aside for a time the object originally designed. Such evidently was the motive with which the Samaritans, designated by Ezra as the enemies of Judah and Benjamin, desired to build with them, declaring that they sought their God, and did sacrifice to him. These heathens were placed in the most advantageous situation, in which heathens could be placed for being reclaimed from idolatry; yet they did not learn from experience, and the outward circumstances around them, the folly of associating the

worship of idols with that of Jehovah. And what grounds have we for supposing that it is otherwise with those around us, who have not fully and unreservedly shown themselves to be followers of Christ? Ought not our conduct to resemble that of the Jews in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah, by refusing to unite as fellow labourers, with those upon whom we cannot depend as the people of the Lord, if they require that concessions should be made, or advantages offered in return for their aid.

The Jews refused these offers of assistance, and desires for an unhallowed union. Their leaders answered, "Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God, but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us." Then the Samaritans showed of what spirit they were; they sought to hinder that which they allowed to be a good work, because they were not admitted to exercise an influence therein. They hired counsellors against the Jews, to frustrate their purpose; by bribes and influence at court they found means to trouble them in building. They sought to hinder their progress, by indirect, rather than by direct means, during the short remainder of the reign of Cyrus. And as we generally find motives of worldly interest combining with dislike to true religion, in actuating the enemies of the gospel, so now it is probable that the Samaritans were the more stirred up to oppose the Jews, from the tribute they paid to the king being assigned by him for the purpose of building the temple, and maintaining the sacrifices. The 129th Psalm is thought to express the feelings of sorrow, and also of hope, which affected the Jewish leaders under this disappointment.

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth,
May Israel now say:

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth:
Yet they have not prevailed against me.

The plowers plowed upon my back: